Magnifier / light goggles or fixed desk lamp / magnifier

[sky1911]

Hello folks,

as I'm about to embark on some small scale modelling in the near future I'm gathering kit to make work a little easier.
So I've been debating whether to get (1) some sort of head gear with magnifying glasses and light attachments or (2) a desk mounted lamp with a magnifying lense attached to a swivelling arm.

Examples of what I'm referring to
(1) sample
(2) sample

Obviously both are just samples found via a quick google search. As someone having to wear glasses depending on what distance I am looking at, I'm leaning more towards the desk mounted gizmo. However, most of the stuff I have found is made in China and comes with USB-plugs for power which is a no-no for me. The head gear is using batteries, so also not ideal as I'm not a big fan of those either.

So I'd like to hear your opinions / recommendations on the topic at hand and / or practical tips on how to deal with things at these tiny scales. We're talking 1/32 scale for starters, with a 1/200 scale ship with loads of tiny PE in the queue as well - and the obvious abundance of 1/12 cars where it may come in handy as well.

[JamesB]

Head on to the second, fixed desk lamp / magnifier option. Much more healthy as you minimize the time of stretching your eyes, and I'd even say more practical (apart of the monster on your desk) as while you see the magnified model at your will, the rest of the world stays normal.

[dgwoodward2]

I have recently been looking into improving my working situation as well. I keep coming back to using a head mounted visor (I use the OptiVisor) and a strong desk mounted lamp. I have the light attachment for the OptiVisor which is okay, but not great. Lends a small assistance, but only in certain situations. The one issue I have had when assessing magnifiers (lamp or head based) is the depth of field can be very limited on certain tools. That has been the case I have had mostly with any magnifier. Sometimes there is such a limited range of focus you need to build in, it causes issues for me.

One last thing: an advantage the visor has given me is I can simply tilt my head up and down to either provide normal or magnifying. Just my 2 bits.

[PeteJ]

Like you, I am a glasses wearer, at least at the modeling bench. I am no fan of the round magnifier/light combination. It gives you a very limited field of view and you have to look around it to see other things lying nearby. You also have to move to accommodate the magnifier instead of it moving with you. I hated it and threw it a way a long time ago!

Over the years, I have found that the Optivisor is a good choice and highly recommend it. I like the fact that the bottom is open and there is a bit of distance between my face and the lenses. This way I can put on my glasses and pull the visor down over it so I can use the upper part of my glasses with the visor lenses to get good close up vision and the low part of my bifocals are still exposed and function at their normal power. Very comfortable to use and if I need to view something at a medium distance I just flip the visor up and I have the distant vision in that. I own three different lenses(can be purchased separately) and this covers all the strengths I need.

Now one caveat, buy the "Optivisor" brand name and not a knockoff version. Two reasons besides quality. First, the head band has a leather or simulated leather cushion and is very comfortable. Second the lenses they sell are optical glass and not effected by the glues and paint we use. You can clean any glue or paint you get on them easily. Not to mention that good lenses are great for viewing.

Second issue is lighting. I have the visor mounted lights and they work ok but I am not a fan of the batteries to power them. Too heavy on the visor. I found this a year or so ago, when I was looking for better lighting for my lath. It is an amazing light. Being 31.5" long you get a very even light over your work surface. It gives you very good control over both the brightness and also the "color" of the light so you can adjust it to what is most comfortable. When doing my machine work it gives me an even light over a large surface without harsh shadows. Not cheap but well worth it to me. I do not have one for my desk because I have a shelf over the desk and have LED strips mounted under that. If it were not for that, I would most certainly have one for the desk. https://www.amazon.com/PHIVE-Architect- ... NrPXRydWU=

[Brooklin1]

I use the Optivisor for close up work and have a swing arm light/magnifier that I use only as a light source. The Optivisor is eyeglass friendly, comes in several magnification strengths and easily tilts up when you don't need it.

[gp-models]

Whatever you choose Roman, don`t buy too cheap cause it can hurt your eyes badly!
I agree with brooklyn and also use an optivisor with different typres of glasses, easy handling instead of a lamp with a lense. Also i`m using a seperate light, at it`s best you choose a LED panel light where you can change light options, mainly used for photografic works, i put in a link at last to show what i mean.
The only thing in the first might be that the optivisor is uncomfortable to wear, but over the time using it, you will forget that you are wearing it.
The uncomfortable thing about the lamp with a lense is, you have allways to be in the same distance to the parts, distance between part and lense plus lense and eyes have to be the same, that makes it much more uncomfortable instead of an optivisor.
Good thing for people wearing glasses is that the optivisor can be used on top like said, i won`t miss mine since i`m using it! The settings for the LED panel can be done a way that your eyes not weaking fast, it`s a difference to have real white light or a more warm yellow light when working a few hours.
https://notopstryk.pl/pl/p/Lampa-GlareO ... olor/11098

[sky1911]

PeteJ, your post from a while back was what reminded me of the head mounted googles - I just couldn't remember the name or the thread you posted it in. So I have been looking for the optivisors. These are made by Donegan, right? I found a bunch on Amazon, link. So they are ranging from 25 to 75 moneys . What's the difference between them? From what I found, the head piece is exactly the same. The LX has acrylic lenses whereas the DA has glass lenses. Now considering you can buy extra lenses I am assuming the lenses are interchangable between the models? Asking for a friend j/k.

However, I have two actual questions regarding these:
1) How much head room (pun sort of intended) do you have with the adjustable straps? I'm asking because I have a fairly large head (yeah, big brain time) which has led to issues in the past. In my army days there wasn't a helmet large enough for me (size 64 - whatever that means). As a references for the US crowd - the regular sized starter caps (I have several, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs..) will not really fit my head - the plastic adjustment strap with the holes at the back is basically open when I wear them and even then it's not a good fit.
2) The front of the Optivisor seems to have some sort of foamy cushion, however, the rear strap thing looks like solid plastic.

As for lights - I may need to get a separate light, as again, batteries is a nono and less weight on the visor should be better for comfort.

Guido, I have a light like that, well sort of, somewhat larger but mounted in a recess underneath my cupboards in the kitchen. It's a flat white panel (where you can even adjust the colour temperature and dim the thing).. Pretty neat, also good for even lighting. Need to think about this as I wanted to build an LED lamp for my desk anyway - one that you can raise or lower as needed.

[PeteJ]

Yes, the Donegan is the original Optivisor. The lenses are interchangeable and snap out and in very easily and quickly. Just 2 small plastic fasteners. Don't be concerned about the fasteners. Mine are probably 15 years old and other than losing one occasionally, they last forever.

I was quite surprised to see the wide variance in price on your web site. Here is the US version of the same thing. https://www.amazon.com/Donegan-OptiVISO ... 19&sr=8-11

It does indeed look like the DA are optical glass and LX are plastic but with the same head band. I also wear a somewhat large hat and there is plenty of adjustment in the band. For a while is was very cooled in the shop, so I adjusted it to fit with a military watch cap(stocking cap) and it still had some room.

I have the DA 2,5,7,10 lenses. The 5 is the one I most commonly use. Some time ago, I purchased an extra head band and they are most often mounted with the 5 and 7. Spend the extra money and get the glass lenses. They are impervious to the paints and solvents we use. The front of the band is a foam backed leather and it quite comfortable. The back is indeed plastic but it is very flexible. Comfort has never been an issue. My eyes grow tired long before the visor becomes uncomfortable.

Hope I answered your questions.

[sjelic]

Not to repeat everything, I am with Pete on this one, I have bought many things to help magnify and in the end head gear is the best solution for me, without light, if nothing else, weight is less and this helps keeping them on head for loner time without issues and light...that is never ending story, I currently have two 6000 lumen lamps, one half way to the desk and one directly on desk...and I am now relatively ok .
Be sure to take one with good forehead strap (like optivisor), I had cheaper one before with semi plastic and it irritates the hell out of the forehead skin.

[sky1911]

Pete, thanks for your feedback re: head room . The DA-5 it'll be. However, I may not order it via Amazon, since that place has slowly turned into usability hell. I find it obfuscates (probably intentionally) who you're actually buying from. In this case it took me a few minutes of looking and clicking to finally realize that this would be shipped from the US and not from a local (Euro) distributor - supposedly at no extra shipping (yea right, customs maybe??). That and their search - honestly, I want to punch the guy who has coded that, really really hard.

Anyway, the lights will be the next thing to think about. There have been a few good suggestions as well. What are your recommendations - wider area and stronger (=more wattage / lumens) lights?
Pete, yours at ~20 W should be something like 1800 lumens
Sasa, yours at 6000 lumens should be ~60 W (actual) per lamp. That is quite bright for an LED lamp (xenon headlights are rated around 3000 lm I believe), I guess. It must be enough to use for photoshots with a lightbox I think. Do you have a link to yours?

/edit, the calculator I found might have been "off" as it was showing 20 W = 1200 lm, 100 W = 6000 lm.